George Patton, A Giant Of A General At The Bulge

George Patton rewards a soldier of the 101st Airborne Division, which held off the Germans in Belgium while the general's men sped to the rescue. U.S... View Enlarged Image

The Allies had a problem.

It was called the German army — rolling right into the American gut.

This was December 1944. The U.S. Army had figured it was close to turning out the lights on World War II in Europe.

Hitler kept them flickering with a tank invasion of northwest Europe, in particular Belgium. In his scope: Antwerp's port, supplies, fuel and a peace pact to keep the American juggernaut from bagging Germany.

The Battle of the Bulge was on.

Gen. Dwight Eisenhower heard the alarm.

Now he had to make the call. But to whom?

George Patton.

Patton's Keys

Beat the Germans at the Battle of the Bulge.

Overcame: Time and winter as Nazi tanks rushed on freezing U.S. soldiers.

Lesson: See strife as an opportunity.

"It's the unconquerable soul of man, and not the nature of the weapon he uses, that ensures victory."

As soon as the three-star general had his marching orders, he made a beeline to the Bulge in Belgium — and in seven days rescued the trapped Americans in Bastogne while decking the Nazis.

"There was not one other single man in the Army who could've done that," Mike Province, author of "The Unknown Patton" and head of the Patton Society, told IBD. "No one else had the willpower and knowledge of the terrain. He turned the entire 3rd Army 90 degrees and headed north — about 200,000 men and 200 tanks. It took the sheer willpower of Patton."

Lewis Sorley, a former tank-riding officer whose books include "Thunderbolt," on another Bulge hero, Creighton Abrams, also lauds Patton's alacrity and audacity.

"Patton was attacking eastward (near the Saar River in France), turned 90 degrees, moved over 100 miles in awful winter weather and in three days engaged the enemy," said Sorley. Result? That rush to the Bulge "was very important in shortening the war" — which in Europe ended in May 1945.

"In strategic terms," noted Yeide, "the war in the West was over by February 1945."

Wrote Steve Dietrich in his work "Patton Before the Bulge": "If not for this warrior of vision, a surprise German attack through the Ardennes Forest in December 1944, remembered as the Battle of the Bulge, may have been a significant setback to Allied efforts in the European theater stopping Allied advances in the west, crippling their logistic base, while freeing more German units to thwart Soviet advances in the east."

Patton got it, writing: "The relief of Bastogne is the most brilliant operation we have thus far performed and is in my opinion the outstanding achievement of this war."

"And," said Sorley, "I don't think many would argue with that."

The way Sorley sees it, Patton (1885-1945) won with the same number of traits — four — as the stars he wore soon after the Bulge:

 1. Duty. "Patton was a serious soldier," said Sorley. "He did not come to this situation unprepared."

The general had "41 years of total dedication to the study of war," wrote Dietrich, adding: "George S. Patton Jr. is remembered as a bold, dashing, aggressive, 'Blood and Guts' tank leader — a master of mobile warfare. The Battle of the Bulge was his crowning achievement — the epitome of a lifetime of devotion to the profession of arms."

 2. Nerve. "He had an aggressive spirit," said Sorley. "He was not concerned with his flanks and running out of equipment."

Wrote Carlo D'Este in the Quarterly Journal of Military History: "The prospect of relieving three divisions from the line, turning them north and traveling along icy roads to Arlon (in southern Belgium) to prepare for a major counterattack in less than 72 hours was astonishing, even to a group accustomed to flexibility in their military operations. Only a commander with exceptional confidence in his subordinate commanders and in the professional skill of his fighting divisions could dare risk such a venture.

"Patton not only never hesitated, but embraced the opportunity to turn a potential military debacle into a triumph."

Said Province: "He always said confidence and willpower are twin brothers. He was one of the most determined son of a bitches you ever saw."

That came to the fore on Dec. 19, when Patton joined other commanders in Verdun, France, to review their options with Ike.

Three days before, a Nazi force of 200,000 men and 500 colossal tanks had crossed the Ardennes hills west of Germany and created a bulge in the thick of Belgium while stunning an Allied front of 83,000 men and 242 medium tanks, according to "The Battle for the Rhine" by Robin Neillands.

At the salient's nut was Bastogne, where roads crossed the Germans' path to the North Sea. The Americans' 101st Airborne Division dug in on the town's outskirts by Dec.18 and needed help. Fast.

Enter Patton.

The next day he presented his fast-track plan — zipping his 4th Armored and 26th and 80th Infantry divisions northward in three days — "which the Eisenhower assistants scoffed at. In their view it was impossible," said Sorley. "But they were wrong. This was tactically brilliant on Patton's part in the highest order."

Wrote Dietrich of that meeting: "Rare is the commander willing or capable of executing such a maneuver, especially in such a short amount of time and with such aggressiveness. Certainly no other Allied commander had anticipated the German attack and made contingency plans. Patton was face to face with his destiny — and knew it. His performance was a masterpiece of thespian excellence.

"Confidently lighting a fresh cigar, Patton swaggered to the map, pointed to the bulge and observed, 'The Kraut's stuck his head in a meat grinder.' Twisting his fist with a flair, he boasted, 'and this time I've got the handle.'"

 3. Vision. "Throughout his career," noted Dietrich, "Patton had preached that there is no one-and-only solution to a tactical problem. For more than 30 years he had been writing notes to himself in his books to 'do the unexpected.'"

One reason he could pull off this blitz to the Bulge, which Province says "ranks right up there in the top 10 military moves of all time," was because he saw long range.

"Patton and his G-2, Col. Oscar Koch, whom he called the best intelligence officer in the United States Army, were the only ones who understood what was coming at the Bulge," said Province. "So when it occurred, Patton was prepared."

Ben Patton, author of "Growing Up Patton," compared his grandfather's faculty with Union officers who won at Gettysburg eight decades before: "The Bulge was a textbook battle, definitely a tide turner. (The general's gallop to Belgium) was such an audacious move, he even had to overcome superiors who wanted to do it another way. He had the ability to exploit an opening, hitting it as hard as he could."

 4. Spark. Patton simply could "influence those under him. He inspired them," said Sorley.

Province, fired up since he was an Army specialist at Patton Barracks in Heidelberg, Germany, half a century ago, said: "Patton knew how to use what he had. He said, 'Grab 'em by the nose and kick 'em in the ass.'"

To make sure his men got the message, the general stepped on it.

After selling Ike's team on that velocity, Patton "and his driver went right to the front and took charge," said Province. "He was the only one who knew what was going on."

On Dec. 26, just a week after Patton's Verdun pitch, his 4th Armored's 37th Tank Battalion under Lt. Col. Abrams banged through the German circle at Bastogne.

The 101st had their relief. "The speed of our movements is amazing, even to me, and must be a constant source of surprise to the Germans," wrote Patton, who added in a note to his wife: "Now the enemy must dance to our tune, not we to his. ... This is my biggest battle."

It ended a month later.

The Legacy

A year after his Bulge heroics, Patton died from the effects of a paralyzing car crash in Germany. He's buried in Luxembourg.

"Patton had shortcomings," said Sorley, "but Eisenhower knew he was a great fighting general and knew he would need him when the chips were down."

So did Omar Bradley, Patton's boss, who called the Californian's Bulge thrust "one of the most brilliant performances by any commander on either side in World War II."

George Patton rewards a soldier of the 101st Airborne Division, which held off the Germans in Belgium while the general's men sped to the rescue. U.S... View Enlarged Image

The Allies had a problem.

It was called the German army — rolling right into the American gut.

This was December 1944. The U.S. Army had figured it was close to turning out the lights on World War II in Europe.

Hitler kept them flickering with a tank invasion of northwest Europe, in particular Belgium. In his scope: Antwerp's port, supplies, fuel and a peace pact to keep the American juggernaut from bagging Germany.

The Battle of the Bulge was on.

Gen. Dwight Eisenhower heard the alarm.

Now he had to make the call. But to whom?

George Patton.

Patton's Keys

Beat the Germans at the Battle of the Bulge.

Overcame: Time and winter as Nazi tanks rushed on freezing U.S. soldiers.

Lesson: See strife as an opportunity.

"It's the unconquerable soul of man, and not the nature of the weapon he uses, that ensures victory."

As soon as the three-star general had his marching orders, he made a beeline to the Bulge in Belgium — and in seven days rescued the trapped Americans in Bastogne while decking the Nazis.

"There was not one other single man in the Army who could've done that," Mike Province, author of "The Unknown Patton" and head of the Patton Society, told IBD. "No one else had the willpower and knowledge of the terrain. He turned the entire 3rd Army 90 degrees and headed north — about 200,000 men and 200 tanks. It took the sheer willpower of Patton."

Lewis Sorley, a former tank-riding officer whose books include "Thunderbolt," on another Bulge hero, Creighton Abrams, also lauds Patton's alacrity and audacity.

"Patton was attacking eastward (near the Saar River in France), turned 90 degrees, moved over 100 miles in awful winter weather and in three days engaged the enemy," said Sorley. Result? That rush to the Bulge "was very important in shortening the war" — which in Europe ended in May 1945.

"In strategic terms," noted Yeide, "the war in the West was over by February 1945."

Wrote Steve Dietrich in his work "Patton Before the Bulge": "If not for this warrior of vision, a surprise German attack through the Ardennes Forest in December 1944, remembered as the Battle of the Bulge, may have been a significant setback to Allied efforts in the European theater stopping Allied advances in the west, crippling their logistic base, while freeing more German units to thwart Soviet advances in the east."

Patton got it, writing: "The relief of Bastogne is the most brilliant operation we have thus far performed and is in my opinion the outstanding achievement of this war."

"And," said Sorley, "I don't think many would argue with that."

The way Sorley sees it, Patton (1885-1945) won with the same number of traits — four — as the stars he wore soon after the Bulge:

 1. Duty. "Patton was a serious soldier," said Sorley. "He did not come to this situation unprepared."

The general had "41 years of total dedication to the study of war," wrote Dietrich, adding: "George S. Patton Jr. is remembered as a bold, dashing, aggressive, 'Blood and Guts' tank leader — a master of mobile warfare. The Battle of the Bulge was his crowning achievement — the epitome of a lifetime of devotion to the profession of arms."

 2. Nerve. "He had an aggressive spirit," said Sorley. "He was not concerned with his flanks and running out of equipment."

Wrote Carlo D'Este in the Quarterly Journal of Military History: "The prospect of relieving three divisions from the line, turning them north and traveling along icy roads to Arlon (in southern Belgium) to prepare for a major counterattack in less than 72 hours was astonishing, even to a group accustomed to flexibility in their military operations. Only a commander with exceptional confidence in his subordinate commanders and in the professional skill of his fighting divisions could dare risk such a venture.

"Patton not only never hesitated, but embraced the opportunity to turn a potential military debacle into a triumph."

Said Province: "He always said confidence and willpower are twin brothers. He was one of the most determined son of a bitches you ever saw."

That came to the fore on Dec. 19, when Patton joined other commanders in Verdun, France, to review their options with Ike.

Three days before, a Nazi force of 200,000 men and 500 colossal tanks had crossed the Ardennes hills west of Germany and created a bulge in the thick of Belgium while stunning an Allied front of 83,000 men and 242 medium tanks, according to "The Battle for the Rhine" by Robin Neillands.

At the salient's nut was Bastogne, where roads crossed the Germans' path to the North Sea. The Americans' 101st Airborne Division dug in on the town's outskirts by Dec.18 and needed help. Fast.

Enter Patton.

The next day he presented his fast-track plan — zipping his 4th Armored and 26th and 80th Infantry divisions northward in three days — "which the Eisenhower assistants scoffed at. In their view it was impossible," said Sorley. "But they were wrong. This was tactically brilliant on Patton's part in the highest order."

Wrote Dietrich of that meeting: "Rare is the commander willing or capable of executing such a maneuver, especially in such a short amount of time and with such aggressiveness. Certainly no other Allied commander had anticipated the German attack and made contingency plans. Patton was face to face with his destiny — and knew it. His performance was a masterpiece of thespian excellence.

"Confidently lighting a fresh cigar, Patton swaggered to the map, pointed to the bulge and observed, 'The Kraut's stuck his head in a meat grinder.' Twisting his fist with a flair, he boasted, 'and this time I've got the handle.'"

 3. Vision. "Throughout his career," noted Dietrich, "Patton had preached that there is no one-and-only solution to a tactical problem. For more than 30 years he had been writing notes to himself in his books to 'do the unexpected.'"

One reason he could pull off this blitz to the Bulge, which Province says "ranks right up there in the top 10 military moves of all time," was because he saw long range.

"Patton and his G-2, Col. Oscar Koch, whom he called the best intelligence officer in the United States Army, were the only ones who understood what was coming at the Bulge," said Province. "So when it occurred, Patton was prepared."

Ben Patton, author of "Growing Up Patton," compared his grandfather's faculty with Union officers who won at Gettysburg eight decades before: "The Bulge was a textbook battle, definitely a tide turner. (The general's gallop to Belgium) was such an audacious move, he even had to overcome superiors who wanted to do it another way. He had the ability to exploit an opening, hitting it as hard as he could."

 4. Spark. Patton simply could "influence those under him. He inspired them," said Sorley.

Province, fired up since he was an Army specialist at Patton Barracks in Heidelberg, Germany, half a century ago, said: "Patton knew how to use what he had. He said, 'Grab 'em by the nose and kick 'em in the ass.'"

To make sure his men got the message, the general stepped on it.

After selling Ike's team on that velocity, Patton "and his driver went right to the front and took charge," said Province. "He was the only one who knew what was going on."

On Dec. 26, just a week after Patton's Verdun pitch, his 4th Armored's 37th Tank Battalion under Lt. Col. Abrams banged through the German circle at Bastogne.

The 101st had their relief. "The speed of our movements is amazing, even to me, and must be a constant source of surprise to the Germans," wrote Patton, who added in a note to his wife: "Now the enemy must dance to our tune, not we to his. ... This is my biggest battle."

It ended a month later.

The Legacy

A year after his Bulge heroics, Patton died from the effects of a paralyzing car crash in Germany. He's buried in Luxembourg.

"Patton had shortcomings," said Sorley, "but Eisenhower knew he was a great fighting general and knew he would need him when the chips were down."

So did Omar Bradley, Patton's boss, who called the Californian's Bulge thrust "one of the most brilliant performances by any commander on either side in World War II."

See Also

As an actress, Jessica Alba is used to getting feedback. But in 2008, the biggest reaction she caught was an allergic one — from laundry detergent. The twist couldn't have come at a worse time, as Alba was pregnant with her first daughter. Having suffered multiple maladies during her own ...

Prevent meetings from turning into ineffective black holes where nothing is accomplished. If you fix those gatherings, the result can be clarity and progress. That's from Paul Axtell, author of "Meetings Matter." Tips on making meetings more than worth the effort:  Get it. Maximize every ...

As motivators go, many will say that there's fear and there's greed. Probably the stronger of them is fear. It's with us much of the time, because change — and the uncertainty that comes with it and causes fear — is always with us. "There's no such thing as a comfortable change," said ...

Baseball is the only game where the defense has the ball. The offense has slim chances, really — just .42 second to take control as the ball crosses the plate. Even less time if the pitcher has a decent fastball. Deep inside that blink, Boston Red Sox star Ted Williams created such power, ...

When Julian Fellowes was growing up, his father gave him what proved sound advice: "If you have the misfortune to be born into a generation which must earn a living, you might as well do something amusing." Fellowes took the advice to heart. After making it as a character actor, he turned to ...

Select market data is provided by Interactive Data Corp. Real Time Services. Price and Volume data is delayed 20 minutes unless otherwise noted, is believed accurate but is not warranted or guaranteed by Interactive Data Corp. Real Time Services and is subject to Interactive Data Corp. Real Time Services terms. All times are Eastern United States. *Reflects real-time index prices.